Why Abhishek Bachchan’s road to success has been so bumpy: Burden of legacy or bad choices?
Over the years, Abhishek Bachchan, son of iconic actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, has shown his acting chops, but the road to recognition has been quite bumpy for him.
Over the years, Abhishek Bachchan, son of iconic actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, has shown his acting chops, but the road to recognition has been quite bumpy for him.
Is it tougher to be a megastar or to be the son of one? Abhishek Bachchan, part of Bollywood royalty as the son of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, has had to grapple with this question throughout his 24-year career in the Hindi film industry. With over 70 films under his belt, it seems odd to still refer to him as a ‘starkid.’ Over the years, Abhishek has shown his acting chops, but the road to recognition has been quite bumpy for him.
Despite being the son of Big B, Abhishek faced a rocky start in Bollywood. No director wanted to take the risk of launching him, fearing the immense expectations that came with being the son of Big B. “I think I met all the directors I could have met, and they all very respectfully declined saying, ‘We don’t want the responsibility of watching you,” Abhishek said at the Hindi Actors Roundtable on Galatta Plus.
In spite of facing many rejections, Abhishek landed his first role in JP Dutta’s Refugee, along with Kareena Kapoor, who also made her acting debut with the film. This was a dream start for Abhishek. The actor, however, struggled to capitalise on this initial success and made a series of film choices, such as Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa, Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Om Jai Jagadish and the incorrigible Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, that pigeonholed him into boy-next-door roles.
It took him three years after his debut to truly shine, playing a brash gunda in Mani Ratnam’s Yuva. This film proved to be a turning point, with Mani Ratnam later steering Abhishek’s career through crucial junctions with Guru and Raavan.
Post Yuva, Abhishek consistently delivered career-defining performances. His quietly confident ACP Jai Dixit in Dhoom, the charming Bunty in Bunty Aur Babli, the complex character in Sarkar, the emotionally charged performance in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and the con artist in Bluffmaster — they all added depth to his filmography. Despite such varied performances, the magic wand of widespread acclaim seemed just out of reach for the actor.
Then arrived the ‘Guru’ of all performances, where Abhishek effortlessly swept accolades. Guru remains the best performance of his career. However, the success of the Mani Ratnam film didn’t last long for Abhishek and he took various missteps with films like Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Drona. He quickly bounced back with commendable performances in Delhi 6, Paa, and Raavan. Although these films didn’t set the box office ablaze, he earned praise for his acting prowess.
Anurag Kashyap led Manmarziyaan was Abhishek’s last film to find box office success, along with winning the hearts of critics. In this film, he shared the screen with Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal, both portrayed energetic and bold characters. Amid their firecracker-like acts, Abhishek distinguished himself with a nuanced and measured portrayal. Anurag Basu’s multi-starrer Ludo and Tushar Jalota’s Dasvi also earned him a lot of praise.
Why Abhishek Bachchan’s road to success has been so bumpy: Burden of legacy or bad choices?
Over the years, Abhishek Bachchan, son of iconic actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, has shown his acting chops, but the road to recognition has been quite bumpy for him.
Over the years, Abhishek Bachchan, son of iconic actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, has shown his acting chops, but the road to recognition has been quite bumpy for him.
Is it tougher to be a megastar or to be the son of one? Abhishek Bachchan, part of Bollywood royalty as the son of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, has had to grapple with this question throughout his 24-year career in the Hindi film industry. With over 70 films under his belt, it seems odd to still refer to him as a ‘starkid.’ Over the years, Abhishek has shown his acting chops, but the road to recognition has been quite bumpy for him.
Despite being the son of Big B, Abhishek faced a rocky start in Bollywood. No director wanted to take the risk of launching him, fearing the immense expectations that came with being the son of Big B. “I think I met all the directors I could have met, and they all very respectfully declined saying, ‘We don’t want the responsibility of watching you,” Abhishek said at the Hindi Actors Roundtable on Galatta Plus.
In spite of facing many rejections, Abhishek landed his first role in JP Dutta’s Refugee, along with Kareena Kapoor, who also made her acting debut with the film. This was a dream start for Abhishek. The actor, however, struggled to capitalise on this initial success and made a series of film choices, such as Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa, Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Om Jai Jagadish and the incorrigible Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, that pigeonholed him into boy-next-door roles.
It took him three years after his debut to truly shine, playing a brash gunda in Mani Ratnam’s Yuva. This film proved to be a turning point, with Mani Ratnam later steering Abhishek’s career through crucial junctions with Guru and Raavan.
Post Yuva, Abhishek consistently delivered career-defining performances. His quietly confident ACP Jai Dixit in Dhoom, the charming Bunty in Bunty Aur Babli, the complex character in Sarkar, the emotionally charged performance in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and the con artist in Bluffmaster — they all added depth to his filmography. Despite such varied performances, the magic wand of widespread acclaim seemed just out of reach for the actor.
Then arrived the ‘Guru’ of all performances, where Abhishek effortlessly swept accolades. Guru remains the best performance of his career. However, the success of the Mani Ratnam film didn’t last long for Abhishek and he took various missteps with films like Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Drona. He quickly bounced back with commendable performances in Delhi 6, Paa, and Raavan. Although these films didn’t set the box office ablaze, he earned praise for his acting prowess.
Anurag Kashyap led Manmarziyaan was Abhishek’s last film to find box office success, along with winning the hearts of critics. In this film, he shared the screen with Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal, both portrayed energetic and bold characters. Amid their firecracker-like acts, Abhishek distinguished himself with a nuanced and measured portrayal. Anurag Basu’s multi-starrer Ludo and Tushar Jalota’s Dasvi also earned him a lot of praise.
